Rear wheels come off tractor-trailer, shutting I-78 in Berks

Interstate 78's westbound lanes in Berks County were closed for an hour and a half Monday afternoon after the rear axle broke free from the trailer of a tractor-trailer in Hamburg, police said.

Paulo A. Pereira Jr., 51, of Newark, N.J., was driving west at 1:30 p.m. when he braked for traffic that had slowed in a construction zone, state police at Hamburg said. As he braked, the rear axle assembly, including the rear wheels, broke off, state police at Hamburg said.

Pereira continued driving for a short distance before he stopped with the disabled trailer straddling the left and right lanes, police said. No one was injured.

I-78 traffic was detoured at Exit 30 until the right lane was reopened at 3 p.m. The left lane was kept closed while the debris was cleaned up.